


LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?

by Daegaer



Category: Fix Bay'nets - George Manville Fenn
Genre: 19th Century, M/M, Married Life, POV Outsider, Post-Canon, gay Victorian soldiers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-06-20
Updated: 2004-06-20
Packaged: 2021-01-29 07:35:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21406522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daegaer/pseuds/Daegaer
Summary: Bracy and Gedge live a quiet life.
Relationships: Bracy (Fix Bay'nets)/Bill Gedge
Kudos: 3





	LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [](https://musesfool.livejournal.com/profile)[**musesfool**](https://musesfool.livejournal.com/)'s [Psalm Story Challenge](http://www.livejournal.com/users/musesfool/617055.html).
> 
> Many thanks to [](https://louiselux.livejournal.com/profile)[](https://louiselux.livejournal.com/)**louiselux** for the beta!

When the retired army officer and his manservant first came to the village of A-------, Captain Bracy was seen to be rather eccentric, living by himself in the large house he had purchased on the outskirts of the village, and not engaging any other servants until the end of the summer. He was pleasant spoken and amiable, however, and his solitary way of life, while somewhat queer, was gradually forgiven him.

Mr Carstairs, the reverend gentlemen in whose care the souls of the parish lay, was pleased to see that the Captain and his manservant both attended Sabbath services faithfully, and, taking it upon himself to call on Mr Bracy at home, was even more pleased to be warmly welcomed, and shown into a warm parlour and served tea. He left, much gladdened by the hospitality shown him and the modest, plain style of life his host had chosen, far preferring, as Mr Bracy had said, the simplicity of the country to the hurly-burly of town, where one was almost forced upon one's neighbours. On learning that the excellent seedcake that he had enjoyed with his tea was in fact made by Mr Bracy's servant, Mr Carstairs commended the man as he left, and enjoined him to continue his faithful service to his master as he had, so Mr Carstairs had learned, done in India. Gedge - for that was the man's name - assured him he had no other thought, and promised, as Mr Carstairs had asked, to give his recipe to Mr Carstairs' cook. Gratified with the success of his visit, Mr Carstairs gave him a half-crown, and went home, telling his wife that he had seldom met such a pleasant young man as the new addition to the village.

The servants, as they were engaged, found their employer to be a generous and kind-hearted master. Gedge, although his servant of longest standing, was well liked by the others, never using his favoured position to unfair advantage. Mrs Miller, the cook, recognised in his cheerful demeanour and loyalty elements that had been found in her own husband, who had also served in the army and had left her a widow barely two years after their wedding-day. Over time she became very fond of Gedge, but being a shy woman and some years older than him besides, she kept silent thinking to spare them both embarrassment.

As Mr Bracy, over the years, became more a part of the life of the village he also became, to some, a grave disappointment. Although he was quite clearly a man of some means, he seemed quite content to continue in his quiet life, and was most careful to give no lady of his acquaintance grounds for false hope. At last the brother of one lady who had, against all evidence, been clutching such hope to her breast, asked Mr Bracy in what he later had to admit was an uncouth manner what the devil the matter was with the man? He was much abashed when Mr Bracy replied, in a way that the young man was forced to say was most restrained, that his experiences while stationed in India had left him wholly disinclined to marry. Stammering an apology the young man left him in peace and never spoke of such matters again, admiring the silence and fortitude with which Mr Bracy bore, as he assumed, such dreadful wounds.

When Sumner, the gardener engaged by Mr Bracy, came grey of face with worry to Gedge, to say his only daughter was gravely ill, and to beg him to ask if he might take a half day to help his wife care for the child, he was most surprised to find himself taken immediately to stand before their master. He was surprised still further to hear the instructions to Gedge to take the trap and to drive him at once to the doctor and to bring that gentleman to Sumner's cottage. Protesting in a whisper to Gedge as they went that he had no money for such a thing, he was relieved to hear that this had been thought of, and sufficient money had been brought. When, several months later, he had saved enough to repay this, Mr Bracy shook his head and begged his pardon in a most gentlemanly way for not having made it clear that the money was neither a loan nor an advance upon his wages, but a gift. Sumner stood, cap off, and felt his eyes grow damp as Mr Bracy asked after the child's health as he always did, and then kindly shook his hand.

The whole village buzzed with horrified delight when the schoolmaster's young sister disgraced her family through an unwise acquaintance with a most unsuitable young man beneath her station. After a service, during which his sermon on immorality had left the unhappy young woman weeping in her family's pew, Mr Carstairs was annoyed to be asked by Mr Bracy, in a polite yet penetrating tone, whether it was true that the Saviour had suggested judging not lest one be in turn judged? His reply, which touched on decency and the common good seemed to fall on deaf ears, for Mr Bracy did not give up his habit of raising his hat to the young woman in question, nor did he refrain from greeting her brother in public. Moreover, her young man found himself offered a respectable position with a friend of Mr Bracy's, which he took with gratitude. The wedding was in another parish, true, but Mr Carstairs felt he should at least have been invited.

As the years went on, the life of the village changed slowly. For four years the village was shrouded in mourning, and there were no young men to be seen. The new vicar, Mr Burney - for Mr Carstairs had gone to his eternal rest - found it prudent to leave off his sermons on the just war and the glory of the ultimate sacrifice for a good cause after one of his parishioners, a retired military officer so he was later told, walked out of church in the middle of one. One of the man's servants had the effrontery to give Mr Burney a flat and measuring glare as he too rose from his place and marched after his master, back straight and stiff, followed one by one by the rest of the man's household. Mr Burney's complaints to other parishioners were met with stiff-necked obduracy, and he was given to understand that Mr Bracy was a well-respected member of the village, while he himself was a newcomer who did not yet know its ways. As Mr Burney looked about his parishioners he saw that they consisted of young schoolboys, men with greying hair, and women and girls of all ages. He was ashamed to be the only young man there, and when he spoke of the war thereafter it was not of its glory.

As the world changed, and it became harder to find people to go into service, the villagers at times noticed the loyalty of Mr Bracy's manservant, who had come with him all those years ago, when they were both young men. They held up the example of Gedge to their own servants when they demanded a higher wage, or more time off. More than once there was consternation when the insolent reply came back that loyalty was easier when a body knew they were appreciated by a considerate employer and got a good, high wage like Gedge had (for Gedge, it had to be said, was always well-dressed whether at work or on his days off, and took some delight in extolling the liberality and other good qualities of his employer), but there was always work to be found in the factories, if a raise were not forthcoming. The villagers sighed, and raised the wages or endured the loss of a maid, and wished for the days when servants knew their place and stayed loyal and hardworking.

And so the sad day came, as it comes to all flesh. Mr Burney, who was no longer young and who had had, for many years, quite clear instructions, ignored the talk in the village and did as his parishioners had wished. Reminding all those who said it was not proper that in the new Jerusalem all earthly distinctions pass away, he held the service and comforted the small group of family and friends who had once again made the sad journey to the village. Mr Bracy's godson, the elder of two dark-haired brothers - themselves no longer young men - could no longer walk even with crutches but was pushed in a chair by his sister; Mr Burney was more ashamed of his youthful idiocy than ever before. Afterwards, he stood alone and quiet, looking at the fresh letters carved neatly under the previous inscription. Beneath the names and dates was the only inscription he had been instructed should be placed upon the stone, _II Samuel 1:23_. He laid a hand upon the stone, warm and pleasant from the sun, and left his parishioners in the peace they had always wanted.

**Author's Note:**

> __ **Ps.15**   
[1] LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?   
[2] He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.   
[3] He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.   
[4] In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.   
[5] He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
> 
> **II Samuel 1:23**
> 
> ". . . in their lives, and in their death they were not divided"


End file.
